CATCHING WATER IN A JAR

A whole lot of retro gumshoe patter brightens up this latest St. Martin's Press/PWA Award–winning first mystery. Jake Diamond, a boozer and onetime bit actor now sleuthing in San Francisco, gets hired by Evelyn Harding to track down her missing husband, Harry Harding. The Los Angeles cops want Harry for the murder of his business partner, Jimmy Pigeon, who happens to have been Jake's detecting mentor before cofounding a Web company, ExCon.com, dedicated to finding the whereabouts of former convicts. ExCon.com was for sale, with one prospective corporate buyer offering a suspiciously large amount of money. Unfortunately, after a promising setup, the author loses narrative control. The action moves fast between L.A. and San Francisco, but one doesn't get much sense of either locale. Most of the lowlife buddies, ex-actors, borderline criminals and former lovers who pack the plot aren't strictly necessary, and few are developed beyond the most superficial level. The author seems undecided whether to go for laughs or chills. While boozing isn't as funny in crime fiction as it used to be, a few smart lines are delivered nonetheless. Later in the caper Jake gets tangled up with his ex-wife and her lawyer lover, but these relationships aren't as sharp as they should be. The first winner of this award was Les Roberts, who has produced many quality mysteries over the subsequent years. The future of this year's recipient seems less certain with this less than assured debut. (Oct. 15)